Debt Management
This week on Life Matters we look at Debt management...to help you take positive steps to control debt!
With Christmas coming and the credit crunch in full force, the heat is on financially. Jaq Kelly from Citizen's Advice Scotland is warning of another shortfall...
"This year we'll have the pressure from the increase in fuel bills...those increases took place in the summer...that's when we generally build up credit to take us through the more expensive winter months...because of higher costs, people have been unable to build up credit"
DON'T sit worrying about your debt...take control of it before it takes control of you...The first step to managing your debt is to call the National Debt-line... on 0808 808 4000
...Free, confidential and independent advice on your situation is available over the phone...There are also a host of agencies in Scotland who can provide face to face help and advice to help you manage your debt. You can find out more at www.nationaldebtline.co.uk/scotland
Yvonne Gallagher is from Money Advice Scotland
"There ARE success stories...we think of ourselves as a hospital sometimes...like we only deal with financially sick people...but it's not the case...just like hospitals, we nurse people back to health...financial health and we've helped lots of people to handle their debt and get on with their lives!"
Comments
I am a community animator at the Compass Project based in the Advice and Services Centre on Arbroath Road, Dundee (458475) which is a free, confidential and non judgemental signposting agency supported by Discover Opportunities, the Dundee Partnership's Employability Programme.It engages with and helps those in the city of Dundee who are unemployed/on benefits and who feel they might require practical advice and information which will improve their personal situation with regards to employment, training, education and voluntary work.
As part of our community work we find many people we engage with have debt/financial problems but are either too frightened to discuss it or do not have the knowledge on how best to tackle it and thereby let it spiral out of control.
In cases such as this we have money advice workers from a project who also cover areas such as benefits, welfare rights and citizens advice. These workers not only try to help deal with the current debt/finances concerns but also try to help clients plan ahead financially so the situation does not reoccur. An example of this was when I joined them in the Save Xmas awareness campaign (sponsored by the Office of Fair Trading) in the City Sq which tried to get people to save/plan ahead for Xmas.
As your life Matters pages shows, the help is out their with regards to debt management. If the person lives in Dundee and is unemployed/on benefits then the Compass Project can help you access it and bring it to the home confidentially and free of charge.
Alex Kane